ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ🌙 𝐍𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑. 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

Saturday, stars hung heavily in the ominous night sky.

"Let me tell you I loved you with no regrets"
- hello future Nct Dream

JinRin trudged her way back home.
The entire sky seemed to be compressing on her slowly as if planning on squashing her as flat as a pancake— with no mercy whatsoever.

How delightful.

The girl's body was sore from the overexertion — of travelling to many places while carrying a heavy bag filled with assessment guides and books for revision.

She had just finished her last class of the day.

JinRin was a tuition teacher for middle schoolers and a few high schoolers who were in desperate need of help with their studies.

Needless to say, JinRin was a great teacher, she was young but she teaches just like an experienced teacher who graduated from a prestigious University— a professor in other words.

Reaching to grab the knob of the door, JinRin finally returned home. The colours seemed to return briefly on her face.

Spotting a bowl of piping hot congee on her family's small dining table, her instincts directed her legs there.

There was also a small sheet of written paper on the table.

As JinRin read the note in her semi-conscious state, her mind instantly cleared and her eyes threatening to poke out, lips threatening to form an upside down crescent instead of her usual bright smile.

Dear Rinnie,
Sweetheart, I hope you are coping well in school, sorry to break this to you but I won't be back for a long time. I have decided to change jobs, I hope you understand this, I'm sure you will.
Enjoy the congee, all the best for your exams and make sure to eat well and sleep well!
-Mum

JinRin

"I told her I could handle the workload by myself and solve the problem... why won't she listen to me, Urg.. so frustrating"

I pushed the note aside miserably, there's nothing I could do, when mother makes decisions she sticks with it stubbornly, no one can change her mind.

To take my mind off the situation, I chucked the congee ravenously.

If only the reason behind the cooked congee was a pleasant one, it would have tasted better.

A hint of bitterness overwhelmed my tastebuds, the supposedly fragrant tasting congee long gone.

Father was never home, he usually works night shifts to earn a better income. Honestly, I barely interact with my father as we rarely meet. We occasionally have breakfast when he returns home from a tiring day of work.

When I return home at night, he goes to work.
That's why I'm closer to my mother.

Hearing her leaving for a more stable income breaks my heart. I could feel the cracked pieces of my heart breaking, the burning sensation of sorrow soon overtook my body.

I understood how important money was in society. It was the pivotal part of life. Everyone uses it everyday.

Money is of extreme importance in the village I live in. People are afraid of suffering from poverty, the lack of food and basic needs.

That was how destitute the people in my village were. It might come to us as being pathetic and worthless humans, however people living here actually are just like those in the urban city.

Personally, nothing can replace love as it is something priceless, something that means everything to me.

Knowing that when mother got hold of a good job opportunity and left her family behind, with however good intentions she holds, it still hurts to see someone you love leaving.

Leaving because of something that can be replaced. Something that is not as important as love.

I could feel the floodgates within me struggling to explode.

I felt hopeless, like a girl without her candy, a baby without her pacifier and a teenager without her mother.

Recovering from the intense emotional session, I took a deep breath and decided to continue on with the day, actually night.

I kept the piece of note with the rest of the other notes mother had given to me in the last.

'Honey I'm sorry for being so busy for the entire week, I'll make sure I'll make it up to you'

'Dear, I will be working over shift these few days, please take care of yourself , I'll be back soon, I'll promise'

'Sweetheart, I'll be back home soon, remember to drink up the juice I made you, love, mother'

I would be lying if I didn't say I read the note on a daily basis, as if It was the most addicting book in the world.

As the frequency of the notes increases, the more Mother was too busy for any mother-daughter bonding time.

But on the other hand, I was way too busy to even have the time to spend with my family.

I might sound contradicting, but believe me, I would never replace my family with wealth.

I closed my eyes, mind still deep in thought of the situation. There were too many things to be worried about.

Is mother doing well? Am I prepared for the exams? Was what Chaeron said the truth?

As time passed, I unknowingly drifted off to dreamland, hoping the next day would be a better one.